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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22378543">They Who Burns For God</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaiwren/pseuds/Kaiwren'>Kaiwren</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman &amp; Terry Pratchett</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angels, Demons, Garden of Eden, Gen, Inspired By Tumblr, Religious Imagery &amp; Symbolism, Specifically a post by Wheeloffortune-design, sorry if I got stuff wrong, written by a pagan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:28:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,925</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22378543</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaiwren/pseuds/Kaiwren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Aziraphale, pronounced “Ah-Zeer-Uh-Fell”</p><p>Definition: The Burning One of God</p><p>Implications: What?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>They Who Burns For God</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/queerli/gifts">queerli</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Crowley looked on at Eden in wonder. Or at least, the walls of Eden. What hypocrisy, from those gold-gilded Angels, to deny others Heaven on Earth. He didn’t suppose they they would feel guilty about it, anyhow. Heaven was brilliant at using whataboutisms- they might not be invented for over five and a half thousand years, but Crowley had plans to claim credit for that in front of all of Hell. </p><p>His job was easiest when he let the Humans invent their own evil, after all.</p><p>But returning to the subject of Edens’ walls, Crowley’s wonder soon evolved into confusion. Where were the Cherubim, to guard the East? Where were the Angels on High, to defend this tiny sliver of Heaven on Earth? And finally, why was the Sword of Heaven being wielded by a simple Principality, who he’d never even seen before? Crowley had to see this. </p><p>The demon Crowley shifted into his snake-form, slithering up the walls of Eden. Sure, he could fly up there, but that would attract attention. And Crowley, despite however many favours he may be able to garner in Hell, was not fond of the idea of getting Holy Watered by Heaven just to prove a point. He might be a pawn, but he was a smart pawn, not a King or Queen, but maybe a rook. He’d like that, to be a Rook instead of a crawly. Mentally, Crowley chuckled, and wondered how hard it might be to claim credit for chess too, when it was invented. Surely, it would give some a heachache. </p><p>Reaching the top of the walls, he shifted back into his winged form, which was close to what he had appeared as before his fall. </p><p>He winced away from that topic. He’d only meandered vaguely downwards, after all. Surely Falling had been a bit excessive for what he had done?</p><p>“Oh, Hello!” The small, white-clothed Principality smiled at him, and waved a single hand awkwardly, seemingly joyous but… confused? “Might I inquire as to your name?”</p><p>“Who are you?” He spat out, off put even more by this Angels’ amicable welcome.</p><p>“Oh, well… I… I’m Aziraphale, I suppose?” The Principality cocked his head ever so slightly, as if wondering why he should even have to state such a thing. As if he had some form of notoriety, as if Crowley should recognize him in sight.</p><p>Crowley blinked.</p><p>“A-Seraph-El? Who Burns for God? That’s the name of a weapon, not an Angel.” Crowley raised his wings instinctively, stepping forward. He didn’t accept being lied to, especially not by a non-Cherubim guarding the walls of Eden who seemed to have not even cottoned onto the fact that he was talking- Talking! To a demon. He looked again, once, at the burning sword the Principality held, well, in a somewhat lackadaisical manner, as if it wasn’t a giant honking sword covered in celestial flames!</p><p>“Oh,” The Principality frowned softly at the ground, but it wasn’t a mad frown, or even a sad frown. In fact, it was the sort of frown that had appeared on Crowley’s face oh so long ago when he had realized that he’d been technically acting as a somewhat minor traitor to the Almighty. It was a resigned frown, with a tad of confusion added in for good measure- as if the Principality was unsure of how to convince the demon- who he was still talking to- of his truth. “Well, I am Aziraphale.”</p><p>“Well, Angel, that still doesn’t answer what I asked, did it?” Crowley was started to get a migraine, if indeed divine beings such as demons could get migraines, unless it was simply the stress of dealing with an absentminded Angel. Stress, maybe? “Do you, by any chance, have a name? Has She Named you yet? I was under the impression that fledglings were named as She Created them.”</p><p>“Of course, She Named me Aziraphale. It is what I have always been called.”</p><p>Crowley hissed, sounding remarkably like the snake he truly was. “And the Sword? What is the Sword Named? They don’t just pass those things out to everyone!”</p><p>“The Sword? I am Aziraphale, I have told you this thrice. Is something wrong?” The angelic figure approached the mildly miffed demon, again, not even considering what sort of Hell Fire or brimstone Crowley could have tucked away under his shift or in a handy metaphysical portal-pocket. </p><p>“The Sword, you daft angel, the giant Sword in your hand- What is it Named?”</p><p>“Oh ho!” The Angel exclaimed, pleased to have discovered what all the hullabaloo was about. “I am Aziraphale, as the Sword is Aziraphale: that is to say, the Sword is just as much Myself as are my wings and grace. There is little difference, if it can be told at all.”</p><p>Crowley blinked, and pinched himself.</p><p>He then pinched himself again.</p><p>Apparently he was awake, who would have known.</p><p>Crowley hissed, and pinched himself savagely for the third time.</p><p>Satan bless it, he really was awake. And conscious. </p><p>And had just been told by some half fledged idiot that he was a flaming sword of Heavenly justice, in addition to being an otherwise normal Principality.</p><p>Yes, just the average not-blessed day on Earth. Why couldn’t he have fucked off to Alpha Centauri? He’d had such a brilliant time Creating it, and now he was doomed to spend eternity on Earth with an odd thinking Angel-Sword of Heaven hybrid… thing? Being? Entity? Person? </p><p>“No need to hurt yourself, dear, it isn’t really that odd.” Aziraphale whispered loudly to Crowley. “It simple, really, no need to get all tangled up in the specifics.”</p><p>“You’re a sword- the Sword, the giant flaming sword of Anti-Demon flames, and you’re also a Principality, a fifth-order Angel, and You’re… well, you’re meant to be a weapon and also a Heavenly Warrior?” Crowley was highly confused. You see, in Hell, demons didn’t really mess about with that kind of stuff, making sentient, living weapons- for the value that Angels and demons are Living Beings, of course. In Hell, one had significant worries about Demons learning about this thing called ‘free will’, and well, using it to tell their superiors to go fuck themselves and setting up shop some galaxies away from Earth, Heaven, Hell, and all associated forces. It tended to reduce the popularity of living weapons significantly.</p><p>“Yes, of course!” Aziraphale smiled giddily, glad that all the waffling about was out of Crowley's system. </p><p>Suddenly, a crumbling, crashing sound echoed throughout Eden, and both Angel and Demon twisted to look behind the walls. This was quite a sight for anyone looking at Crowley, however, as he’d temporarily forgotten that Humans- and the human like bodies Angels and Demons often wore- had these little pointy things called ‘spines’, which tended to restrict their motions substantially. Crowley, either in ignorance or disregard, chose to twist his body three and a half times round, with the end result being that he was looking out over Eden whilst his toes were pointing away, into the barren desert. (This was a barren desert and not the often-called barren desert that actually host wide varieties of life as those life forms had yet to be invented- God had rather tuckered herself out, after Eden and the entirety of the Universe, and was so delegating the work to Angelic committees, who had, as usual, procrastinated themselves well past their deadlines.)</p><p>Both the angel and the demon-shaped serpent looked into the Garden, with two very different expressions on their faces. </p><p>The demon was a bit concerned. Sure, he’d been sent up from Below to tempt Humanity into sinning, but, well, he hadn’t quite got around to it. Of course, he’d be claiming it in the next Deeds of the Day, but it felt a bit too easy, a bit… unfulfilling. And well, if humanity was this prone to questioning and exploring what God judged to be ‘sins’, well then, he’d be out of work! Every demon would be as successful as him, if only they decided to come for a visit.</p><p>The Angel, however, being well, angelic, was quite aghast. You weren’t meant to go against Heaven, or the Plan- weren’t the demons proof enough of that? Permanently cut off from Gods’ grace and love? Besides, the poor humans didn’t know how to survive- they’d lived in a carefully tended and guarded Eden their whole lives, and the entire lives of their Species, yet here they were, going out into the unknown, risking their very existence! With a worried sigh, he miracled himself to them.</p><p>Crowley stared at the space that the foolhardy sword-angel has occupied, closed his eyes, and swore. The angel had been nice, he supposed, but it didn’t mean he should interfere with the Humans’ decision. What if this was the Plan, and him forcing them back to Eden would be going against the Plan? Aziraphale would be one of the Fallen, and while being able to claim credit for getting an Angel to Fall would help him immensely, well… he didn’t want that. He hadn’t chosen to fall, nor had most of his siblings. Crowley himself had only had a habit of asking too many questions. But that didn’t mean he didn’t remember the endless pain of falling, when time was still a bit flexible and just too never ending. He remembered, the first time the stench of sulphur overwhelmed his nostrils, the screaming of his fellow newly-demons who prayed, who begged, who threw themselves to the ground in the barest hope of being granted some mercy. </p><p>No mercy had come; Satan had picked them up, comforted them, and begun to map out Hell and it’s hierarchy. He’d stopped them praying and begging, for all it’d been useless to do so, and decided to give Heaven a big Fuck You. After all, the hearth of Mercy had cast thousands permanently away. Can we get a wahoo on hypocrisy? Crowley sighed deeply, and his wings shivered, as if he was about to sit down and think about Life, and the long, long continuation of it. Maybe if he was lucky, he’d be able to be there to welcome Aziraphale when he inevitably Fell. Cynically, Crowley knew the Angel wouldn’t even fall for questioning: most likely it would be for trying to do good. Idiot! Crowley clenched his jaw and shut his eyes even tighter, awaiting the inevitable scent of brimstone and burning wings to fill the air.</p><p>For a moment, Eden was silent. No demonic hearts beat, no animals breathed. All were silent in the knowledge that Humanity had left Eden willingly.</p><p>Suddenly, wings sounded out across Eden, and Crowley kept to his feet- for all that one can call it leaping when  winged beings use wings to propel them to stand. Crowley glared at the perfect azure sky, and the winged, haloed being flying over to him.</p><p>Eventually Crowley said, "Didn't you have a flaming sword?"</p><p>"Er," said the angel. A guilty expression passed across his face, and then came back and camped there.</p><p>"You did, didn't you?" said Crowley. "It flamed like anything."</p><p>"Er, well—"</p><p>"It looked very impressive, I thought."</p><p>"Yes, but, well—"</p><p>"Lost it, have you?"</p><p>"Oh no! No, not exactly lost, more—"</p><p>"Well?"</p><p>Aziraphale looked wretched. "If you must know," he said, a trifle testily, "I gave it away."</p><p>Crowley staggered. “You gave yourself-“</p><p>Aziraphale refused to glance down, or up, or even to the side. He simply stared through Crowley, seemingly indifferent to the demons’ disbelief. </p><p>“You gave yourself to humanity, didn’t you?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This transitions in the last few sentences to the chapter of Good Omens in which Adam and Eve leave Eden. It is meant to be the beginning of the story, cause I wanted to explore the idea presented by tumblr users wheeloffortune-design, leeshajoy, and ethereal-not-occult, in which Aziraphale is not simply a guardian of Eden, but also the sword he gave to humanity.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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